Shared parental leave

Shared Parental Leave came into force on 1st December 2014 and gives parents greater flexibility in how they care for their child in its first year.

Parents will be able to share leave, be off at the same time, or alternate leave between them. Shared Parental Leave is only applicable to parents whose children are born on or after the 5th April 2015.

There are conditions which parents need to meet to be eligible for shared parental leave. If both parents meet the conditions, they will be able to share 50 weeks of leave between them. If only one parent meets the conditions, the parents will not be able to share the leave. You can find more detailed information about eligibility and conditions on the Working Families website.

It is important that you talk to your partner about shared parental leave before speaking to your employer. Think about how you would want it to work; you could double up in the early days for extra support, or swap part way through.